Appellate

  • June 04, 2026

    5th Circ. Unblocks Texas App Age-Check Law During Appeal

    The Fifth Circuit on Thursday paused an injunction halting a Texas law that requires app store owners to verify users' ages and block minors from downloading apps or making in-app purchases without parental consent, saying the state will likely succeed in showing the district court erred in blocking the law.

  • June 04, 2026

    Fla. High Court Backs Accounting Methods In Utility Rate Hike

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the state Public Service Commission's order approving accounting mechanisms used by a natural gas company in a rate increase plan, ruling that the regulator wasn't inconsistent with internal policy and within its discretion to approve the measures.

  • June 04, 2026

    Deepfake Mocks Judge Spearheading Judiciary Deepfake Rule

    The New York federal judge developing policies for phony audiovisual materials revealed Thursday firsthand experience with the subject: an artificial intelligence video on social media that depicts him as a maniacal Nazi who recently sentenced a private equity executive to prison "for being a Republican."

  • June 04, 2026

    Phone Sex Caller Can't Be Sued Over Fatal Big Rig Crash

    A Texas appeals court on Thursday affirmed the dismissal of a suit accusing a woman of distracting a commercial tractor-trailer driver with a phone sex call to his cellphone, causing him to strike and kill another driver, with the court saying remote callers have no duty to control a driver's conduct behind the wheel.

  • June 04, 2026

    Generics Cos. Get More Freedom In High Court Patent Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Thursday shutting down a patent case involving a generic heart drug that uses a so-called skinny label establishes a road map for generics companies to avoid such suits and creates hurdles for branded companies pursuing infringement litigation, attorneys say.

  • June 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Backs FMCSA Block On Calif. Bus Driver Break Rules

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday validated the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's conclusion that national hours-of-service regulations trump California's meal and rest break rules for bus drivers, saying the agency was justified in finding that the Golden State rules strain interstate commerce.

  • June 04, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Seems Iffy On Reversing Atty Fees In Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit didn't seem convinced Thursday morning that it should overturn a lower court's decision to make network testing company Viavi Solutions Inc. pay another company's attorney fees after Viavi unsuccessfully sued it for patent infringement.

  • June 04, 2026

    7th Circ. Upholds Drug-Premises Enhancement In Meth Case

    The Seventh Circuit has upheld a nearly 16-year prison sentence for an Indiana man, finding that a home he used primarily to sell drugs makes him eligible for a prison sentence increase under the federal sentencing guidelines.

  • June 04, 2026

    2nd Circ. Rejects Bid To Rehear $16B YPF Argentina Ruling

    The Second Circuit will not review its decision this year reversing a New York judge's $16 billion judgment against Argentina arising from its nationalization of YPF SA, the country's largest oil and gas exploration company, despite arguments that the ruling was "profoundly misguided."

  • June 04, 2026

    4th Circ. Revives Inmate Suit, Citing Deleted Prison Video

    An inmate whose prison disciplinary conviction for indecent exposure led to his transfer to a maximum security facility should not have lost his case without having his sanctions request over destroyed video evidence reviewed, a Fourth Circuit panel said Thursday, vacating and remanding a lower court's decision.

  • June 04, 2026

    USPTO Mulling Certain Patent Apps After 'Atypical' Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is asking why it should keep reviewing patent applications that would not end up giving their owners rights to assert against alleged infringers, following a Federal Circuit decision in what the appellate court called an "atypical" appeal.

  • June 04, 2026

    Flyers Ask Full 5th Circ. To Rehear CrowdStrike IT Outage Suit

    Airline passengers have asked the full Fifth Circuit to review a panel decision rejecting their proposed class action alleging the cybersecurity firm behind 2024's crippling global IT outage should be held liable for stress and physical injuries they suffered while stranded by delayed or canceled flights.

  • June 04, 2026

    5th Circ. Prods Feds On Controversy In Texas Dream Act Suit

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed Texas and the federal government to explain where the controversy existed in a suit seeking to end a state law allowing in-state tuition for unauthorized immigrants, saying Thursday the parties "desired the same result."

  • June 04, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Invalidates Spinal Implant Patent Claims

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday invalidated patent claims covering parts used to make expandable implant devices in spinal fusion surgeries that were the basis of a $9.5 million jury verdict against Life Spine Inc. and that had been upheld by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • June 04, 2026

    Feds Appeal Trade Court's Emergency Tariff Refund Order

    The federal government has appealed the U.S. Court of International Trade's order requiring refunds on all duties paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down this year, according to filings in the trade court and Federal Circuit.

  • June 04, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Solidifies Google, Oath Wins In Arendi Patent Suits

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday upheld Google LLC and Oath Holdings Inc.'s wins over Arendi SARL's lawsuits that accused them of infringing various data system patents, agreeing with a Delaware federal court that the patents weren't valid to begin with.

  • June 04, 2026

    Pot Business Tells 6th Circ. Mich. City Defied Court Order

    The clerk of a Michigan city intentionally sabotaged a plan to revitalize a deserted shopping center to prevent cannabis businesses from operating there, a real estate company told a Sixth Circuit panel Thursday in hopes of reviving its suit over the delays and setbacks.

  • June 04, 2026

    Wash. Justices Won't Review Card Processor's Tax Refund

    Washington state's high court declined to review a lower court decision finding that the state's tax agency wrongly included fees charged by issuing banks in a credit card processor's gross income calculation.

  • June 04, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Homes In On 'Adherence' In Canvas Duty Appeal

    A Federal Circuit panel considered conflicting interpretations of an antidumping order on artist canvases Thursday as it reviewed whether the U.S. Department of Commerce properly found a company's products to be in scope, focusing questions on what it means for canvases to promote "adherence" of paint.

  • June 04, 2026

    6th Circ. Rejects Scotts Bid To Block P&G Weed Killer

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a lower court's refusal to block Procter & Gamble from selling its Spruce weed killer, holding that Scotts failed to show its Miracle-Gro packaging is distinctive enough to support trade dress claims or that the products are likely to confuse consumers.

  • June 04, 2026

    Blanche's AG Bid Could Face Rocky Path In Senate

    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will be tapped for the permanent role, but he might not have a smooth path to confirmation.

  • June 04, 2026

    Ecobee's $11.5M Thermostat IP Trial Loss Erased By Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday threw out an $11.5 million award against Ecobee Technologies in a smart thermostat patent infringement suit from Ollnova Technologies, citing problems with the verdict form and how jurors were instructed to look at the patents.

  • June 04, 2026

    Panel Unsure Fraud Suit Against Conn. Atty Was Late

    Connecticut appellate judges suggested Thursday that an attorney may have waived the right to claim a three-year statute of limitations protected her from a client's fraud suit, which resulted in a $27,000 verdict, by failing to correctly raise the issue in a trial court.

  • June 04, 2026

    EPA Unlawfully Delayed Methane Rule, Groups Tell DC Circ.

    Environmental groups told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by extending without justification compliance deadlines for initiating requirements aimed at reducing methane pollution from the oil and gas sector.

  • June 04, 2026

    Floor Importers Failed To Fight Fight Duty Rate, Fed. Circ. Told

    Importers appealing a U.S. Court of International Trade ruling sustaining revised antidumping duties on Chinese wood flooring missed their opportunity to challenge the rate reached by the government, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney told the Federal Circuit on Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • 2nd Circ.'s Embedded Video Ruling May Protect Publishers

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Richardson v. Townsquare, dismissing an infringement claim arising from an embedding of a YouTube-hosted interview, reaffirms a potent defense for publishers who regularly use social media platforms' embed functionality, says Amanda Harris at Jassy Vick.

  • Federal Officer Removal After Justices' La. Pollution Ruling

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Chevron USA v. Plaquemines Parish, companies seeking to use federal officer removal to move litigation out of state court should ask three questions, focusing on government contract language, federally directed activity and related conduct, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • Revisiting TransUnion's Underused Standing Rule, 5 Years On

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    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent use of the U.S. Supreme Court’s now five-year-old TransUnion v. Ramirez rule specifying that the "mere risk of future harm" isn't concrete enough to support a damages claim presents an opportunity to revisit this underutilized standing rule, say attorneys at Horvitz & Levy.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

  • Uncertainty Looms After Justices' Withdrawal Liability Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in M&K Employee Solutions v. Trustees of the IAM National Pension Fund increases the unpredictability of withdrawal liability assessments, so employers should prepare for a range of assessments and be equipped to challenge unreasonable ones, say attorneys at Winston Taylor.

  • CFTC Trading Rule Can't Police Prediction Markets Yet

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    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s recent efforts to police insider trading in prediction markets through a post-Dodd-Frank anti-fraud rule exposes doctrinal gaps around misappropriation theory, leaving platforms to fill the void with win-rate-based surveillance, says attorney Tamara de Silva.

  • Columbia Software IP Ruling Tests Royalty Damages Model

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Columbia University v. Gen Digital, vacating a damages verdict involving foreign software sales, provides guidance on ambiguities surrounding the worldwide royalty damages model established by the court's decision in Brumfield v. IBG two years ago, say attorneys at Munger Tolles.

  • Turning To The Courts When PBM Reform Falls Short

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    The effectiveness of state laws intended to regulate pharmacy benefit managers remains uncertain, but litigation — utilizing tried-and-true theories like breach of contract and fair dealing — offers another mechanism through which stakeholders may seek relief from PBMs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Immigration Appeals Rule Would Prevent Meaningful Review

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    Justice Stephen Breyer’s book “Making Our Democracy Work” offers a useful lens through which to consider what is at stake for the Executive Office for Immigration Review's legitimacy as the government asks the D.C. Circuit to revive an interim final rule that would have fast-tracked decisions by Board of Immigration Appeals, says Tara Kennedy at Kennedy Law.

  • 2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

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    The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Retailer Risk Reduction Tips As Email Marketing Suits Surge

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    Amid a flood of email marketing lawsuits following last year's Washington Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Old Navy, retailers seeking to avoid high litigation costs can take several steps to reduce risks by focusing on their email subject lines advertising sales, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • Why Nuclear Licensees Must Watch 2nd Circ.'s Holtec Review

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    In reviewing a New York federal court's preemption ruling concerning disposal of nuclear materials, the Second Circuit must confront the lower court's recognition of a purpose-based path to field preemption, which could be game-changing for nuclear material licensees, says Andrew Averbach at Womble Bond.

  • Calif. Ruling Lowers Bar For Health Data Breach Claims

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    The California Supreme Court's ruling in J.M. v. Illuminate Education offers protection for non-healthcare companies that maintain health-related data but also adopts a new and more plaintiff-favorable standard for breach of confidentiality that companies maintaining any health-related data should address, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Florida Atty Fees Ruling Could End Expert Testimony Mandate

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    For over 60 years, Florida appellate courts have required an evidentiary hearing and expert testimony to support the reasonableness of an attorney fee award, but the Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal's recent Ruffenach v. Deutsche Bank National Trust ruling could make substantive changes to this requirement, say attorneys at RumbergerKirk.

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